


Heartily

by gingayellow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I am extremely invested in AUs where Hunk and Keith are brothers and no one can stop me, M/M, lots of video game references, oh wow another fic that has angelic imagery for shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 16:46:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16099715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingayellow/pseuds/gingayellow
Summary: It's been awhile since Shiro's let himself be vulnerable around someone, to the point where he can only really do so in bits and pieces. Luckily, Keith is more patient than people realize. [Shiro/Keith, modern AU, warnings in the header]





	Heartily

Title: Heartily  
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender  
Characters/Pairing: Shiro/Keith  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine  
Warnings: Body image issues, vague references to trauma, parental death mentions  
Notes: Honestly, I'm still actively struggling with my writing (and struggling to decide if I want to keep fic writing at all--I'm not in the best place emotionally, and writing is extremely draining rn), but maybe posting this will help. We'll see, I guess. (yes, that is a FF joke in the title ;P)

\--

Hunk was cussing under his breath as Pidge (R.O.B) kicked his butt (Luigi) in Smash yet again when he heard the key lock rattle. Ma and Pa were asleep, so it must have been Keith—except Keith was gonna spend the night at Shiro’s, so…

Keith stumbled in, clothes and hair plastered to his skin courtesy of the rainy weather that had plagued their town all week. And his face… Hunk hadn’t seen him look that lost since he was eighteen and officially aged out of the system with nowhere to go—until Ma and Pa assured him that he’d always be their son, no matter what. 

Hunk fired a quick text to Pidge about taking a quick break, and dashed to Keith. “Hey, bro, let’s get you out of these wet clothes.” Keith had a bad habit of shutting down when he was really upset, so it was best to focus on the concrete ways to show you cared for him instead of asking what was wrong right away. He peeled the jacket, then the shirt, off of Keith, trying not to dwell on how limp he was in the process. “I’m gonna go get your sweats and you can do the rest okay?” Hunk made sure to grab a towel as well.

He found some sweatpants, and a red shirt so faded it looked more like a dark pink. He was a gentleman, so he closed his eyes as he trotted to the bathroom where Keith was warming up in the shower, leaving the towel and clothes by the door. Okay. Step one done.

He went back to the living room (and was greeted by a dozen texts calling him a n00b) and waited to Keith to enter. When he did, Keith collapsed on the couch next to him.

Hunk cleared his throat. “So, um. Sorry in advance for rubbing salt in the wound, but what happened with your date with Shiro?”

Keith hid his face in his hands. “I screwed up.”

“How can you mess up things with Shiro? You two are like, the Mario and Peach of our neighborhood.” It was true. Keith was two years younger than Shiro, but had saved him from bullies—and been there for Shiro not only after the accident that took his arm, but stood by him after Adam decided that he ‘couldn’t deal with Shiro’s constant negativity’ anymore about a month after Shiro got out of the hospital. “Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad, Keith.”

“I…” Keith’s face was bright red. “I told him I wanted to do a bit more than cuddle tonight. And—and that must have been the wrong thing to say, since he just froze up.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Keith sighed heavily. “I don’t need more than what Shiro’s giving. I just need Shiro. But now…” He groaned, face in his hands. “I’m terrible.”

“Bro, you’re not terrible,” Hunk assured him as he started to play again. “It’s just a misunderstanding. If you and Shiro talk it out, it’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, ‘cuz I’m so great at talking,”

“You know that’s not an excuse when someone you love is at stake.”

Keith huffed. “I just… I’m scared I’ll mess it up again.”

Pidge had won, so Hunk turned his attention to Keith. “Keith, Shiro loves you, more than anything.” He remembered how Shiro’s face had lit up when Keith graduated college—or just when Keith picked him up to drive Shiro to his graduate courses and/or teaching. “You two can work things out, promise.”

Keith’s eyes were still shadowed, but there was an attempt at a smile. “Okay.”

They sat in silence for awhile as Pidge kept beating Hunk up in Smash. It was the third match when there was a timid knock on the door.

Keith frowned. So did Hunk—it was late, and they weren’t expecting anyone. Keith stood up to get the door—and all but yanked Shiro into the foyer. “Shiro?! Get inside, it’s storming, you’ll—”

“I’m fine, Keith.” Shiro shook out his umbrella. “My professor had a minor emergency, so she had to end class early. Ina was kind enough to give me a ride to your place.”

Keith looked like a kicked puppy. “I could have picked you up.”

“I know,” Shiro said softly, and Hunk felt kinda guilty spying on them from the couch, but…. he was by nature a curious guy. “But I wanted some time to think.”

Keith looked away. “About what?” His voice was soft. Unsure.

“Keith… it’s been awhile since anyone’s wanted me the way you want me, so I was…” Shiro took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve realized that I want to see all of you, like you want to see all of me.” He gave Keith a watery smile. “It might take me some time to feel brave enough to show you all of me, but if you’re patient—”

Keith was kissing him at this point, and even Hunk knew better than to keep spying. “Y’all have fun tonight,” Hunk said as he returned to his game. “Call me if there’s an emergency.”

Keith actually grinned at that. “We will. And thanks.”

\--

Shiro’s apartment was, well, Keith supposed the polite term would be cluttered. Books and comics and all his weird retro sci-fi merchandise was everywhere. Almost every flat surface in the place was devoted to showcasing his dolls, or storing his books. But whatever. Shiro made it work.

“We could just go to sleep,” Keith assured him, taking Shiro’s face in his hands. “I really do want to see all of you.” Boy, did he want to see all of Shiro. “But I don’t wanna pressure you.”

“It’s fine. I want to,” Shiro breathed, unbuttoning his shirt. He turned his back to Keith. “But the same applies for you, okay?”

“Okay.” Shiro shrugged off the white shirt effortlessly, and…

Wow.

Muscles moved under scarred skin, testament to all the pain Shiro had endured, and survived. The scars littered his skin, but what attracted Keith’s gaze was…

“Your tattoo.” He was whispering, but even that sounded too loud in the silence of Shiro’s bedroom. “Can I touch it?”

“Yes,” Shiro said without skipping a beat.

His fingers were shaking. He couldn’t help it—Shiro was so **beautiful** , and brave, baring himself to Keith like this. “So, why a tattoo in the first place?”

“I got it as soon as my skin healed enough. My artist, Nyma, warned me it would difficult since there’s so many scars on, well, all of me, but she found a way.” Shiro let out a soft breath. “I just… after the crash, and then Adam dumping me, I needed to feel I had some control over myself again. It’s weird, I know.”

“It’s not.” Keith traced the design’s outline. “Do these, um, angel wings have any meaning, or is it just because they look cool?” They really did.

Shiro coughed/laughed. “I was going through an intense Final Fantasy phase.”

“No need to be embarrassed.” Keith frowned thoughtfully, because he can place the face of the character these wings remind him of, but even after hours of watching Hunk play, he’s not one hundred percent sure of her name. “Which means that this is a tribute to… Selphie?”

“Rinoa,” Shiro corrected gently. “And yes. She got kidnapped a lot, and I wish they’d given her more to do, but… I relate to someone who tries hard to do good for others, even if she messes up. And after what a little over a year of messing up after my accident with nothing to do but replay old video games, I… well, I guess I bonded with her.”

“Hm.” Keith did some mental math. This would have happened when Keith was going to college in California on his track scholarship, and while he called Shiro once every day, often times more than that, he knew (everyone knew) that Shiro had been in a bad place. “In that case, remind me to thank her if there’s some weird reality-bending incident that makes Final Fantasy real.” 

“Thank you,” Shiro breathed, metal fingertips tracing Keith’s jaw. “For understanding.” 

“No need to thank me.” Keith dealt with his mother leaving him by keeping her knife on his person at all times. He and Hunk had put a tire swing in the yard for Pop’s birthday because that swing in the front yard (and his father pushing him) was one of Keith’s first, happiest memories. He understood coping mechanisms. “And ‘sides, I think those wings suit you.”

Shiro took Keith’s face in his hands and kissed him. Said kiss wasn’t rough but there was an underlying urgency as Shiro eased Keith’s mouth open, tongue sliding inside. Keith moaned helplessly, letting his hands roam up and down Shiro’s back, marveling at how the scarred skin and muscles felt under his fingertips. He grabbed at Shiro’s belt, and… stopped immediately when Shiro pulled away.

“I think…” Shiro’s face was flushed. He looked down at his socks. “I think that’s all I can do right now.”

“I understand.” Keith cupped Shiro’s chin in his hand. “Thank you.” 

Shiro was silent, but leaned in again, kissing Keith gently on the lips. “We should probably get some sleep. We both have work in the morning.”

“You sure you don’t wanna play some Final Fantasy before bed—ack!” Suddenly, Shiro’s shirt was on Keith’s head.

“I’m going to change into my pajamas. I’ll see you in bed Keith,” Shiro said sweetly as he padded into the bathroom.


End file.
